Epidemiologia dell'asma e delle allergopatie in una popolazione infantile in provincia di Bolzano

Abstract Background. The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases has increased in most industrialized countries of the world during the last several decades. Objectives. The aims of the study were to evaluate the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in a random group of schoolchildren living in the Bolzano area using a validated questionnaire and to investigate the prevalence of sensitisation using skin prick test, in order to create a reliable map of childhood allergy. Methods. The written standardized International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was given to 1960 schoolchildren, aged 13-14 yrs, randomized on the basis of living areas (rural or urban) and of language groups (German, Italian or Ladin). The statistical analysis has been performed only on the group of 13-year-old children (1554 subjects). A randomized subgroup of 573 students underwent skin prick tests with 8 common allergens. Results. Actual asthma prevalence was about 5.1%, rhinitis 11.7% and eczema 6.0%. Higher rates of all syndromes were found in urban areas than in rural ones. No significant differences occurred between language groups. Conclusions. Our data confirm the higher prevalence of allergic diseases in urban areas than in rural ones, but are unable to provide insights into the possible causes. In particular, the specific role of air pollution, other environmental factors, improved hygiene and lifestyle is still unknown. International and regional standardized prevalence comparisons are required to provide a picture of patterns of allergic diseases prevalence and to test and generate hypotheses regarding the causes of the worldwide increase of such diseases.